Furniture for sitting or lying on



April 23, was A.H1LF1KER 3,379,472

FURNITURE FOR SITTING OR LYING ON pri 23, 1968 A. HxLFlKl-:R

FURNITURE FOR SITTING OR LYING vON 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June l?, 1966KML zoss United States Patent O 3,379,472 FURNITURE FOR SITTING 6R LYING0N Albert Hilfker, 20 Poststrasse, 6300 Zug, Switzerland Filed .lune 17,1966, Ser. No. 558,453 6 Claims. (Cl. 297-118) ABSTRACT OF THEDISCLOSURE Piece of furniture with two or more stringers each composedof a multiplicity of short links with overlapping ends interconnected bycross-bars which tie the several stringers together, the overlappingends being provided with confronting annular arrays of teeth whichlockingly interengage in different relative angular positions wherebyeach Stringer can be bent into a variety of shapes prior to finalassembly. The stringers and their cross-bars form a frame supporting aset of cushioned planks which constitute a seating surface and/ or abackrest.

The present invention relates to a piece of furniture for sitting orlying on.

An object of the invention is to provide such piece of furniture whichcan be put together from a number of similar or identical membersadapted t be used for making up varied pieces of furniture for sittingor lying on.

Furniture pieces according to the invention comprise at least two maincarriers or stringers made up from similar or identical links withoverlapping ends. Similar or identical parallel staves or cross-bars areused to connect these stringers to one another and stiffened cushions orplanks are then secured as body-supporting members to the cross-bars,locking means being provided on the overlapping ends of the links forsecuring them to one another in certain relative angular positions whichcan be selected during assembly of the links to form the stringere. Thelocking means may include two mating annular arrays of teeth, formed onconfronting surfaces of the interconnected links, and screws engaging anassociated crossbar for holding the teeth in positive interengagement.

An advantage of the invention is that frames for the most varied formsof furniture pieces can be assembled from a small number of similarmembers, i.e. short links and cross-bars, which can be massed-producedeconomically.

The above and other objects and advantages of the invention will becomemore apparent upon reference to the following description and theaccompanying drawing showing several embodiments thereof.

ln the drawing:

FIG. l is a perspective view of an easy chair according to theinvention,

FIG. 2 is a schematic side elevation of a couch according to theinvention,

FIG. 3 is a schematic side elevation of a double divan according to theinvention,

FIG. 4 is an exploded representation of several frame members of a pieceof furniture according to the invention at a junction point of thefram-e, shown partly in section,

FIG. 5 is a side elevation of a stave-shaped carrier for use infurniture according to the invention,

FIG. 6 is a section along line VI-VI of FIG. l drawn to a larger scale,

FIG. 7 is a section, similar to that of FIG. 6, of another embodiment ofthe invention, and

FIG. 8 is a modified form of screw which can be usell in furnitureaccording to the invention.

The easy chair shown in FIG. 1 consists of a frame 1 and a plurality ofsquared stilened cushions 2, of which three form the seat and two a backrest. The frame 1 is built up from the following members: links 3,tubular staves 4 and screws 5 (see also FIGS. 4 and 5). The links 3 arejoined at their ends by means of the staves or cross-bars 4 and thescrews 5 into two angularly bent rigid and parallel main carriers orstringers 6 which each have two feet 6a also joined together by thesestaves 4.

Each link 3 has the shape of a flat blade cast for example from aluminumalloy. Adjacent each end of each link 3 is a hole 7 surrounded on butone face of the blade by an annular array 8 of teeth 9.

In FIG. 5, for the sake of clarity, the teeth 9 invisible in elevationare shown hatched in contrast to the gaps 10 between the teeth which areleft white. The distance between the two holes 7 of the link 3 may forexample be about mm., the width of the link about 46 mm. and itsthickness 10 mm., flat recesses 11 being provided on both sides of theblade to save material.

With swaged links 3 it is preferable to reduce the thickness and omitthe recesses 11.

As shown in FIG. 4 at each point of their junction 12 the ends of twolinks are so placed in mutual contract that the teeth 9 of the toothedarray 8 engage in the gaps 1t) of the other toothed array 8 and viceversa; thus the relative position of the two links 3 can be varied bythe multiple of an angle of 360/1z where n indicates the number of teethper array. When the screw 5 passes through the two holes 7 and screwsaxially into an inner thread 13 provided in the end of the tube 4 whichis aligned with these holes and thus with the axes of the arrays 8, thetwo links 3 are securely clamped between the end 14 of the tube 4 andthe head 15 of the screw 5, relative rotation of the links beingprevented by the positive interengagement of the teeth of their arrays8.

FIG. 6 shows how the stilened cushions or planks 2 are held by the tubes4. Each cushion 2 includes for this purpose a Wooden board 16 which isprovided at each longitudinal edge with a hollow groove 17 whose radiuscorresponds to the outer radius of the tubes 4. Any suitable cushionmaterial 18, for example resilient foam plastic, is attached to theboard 16, and a covering of textile material 19 which surrounds both thematerial 18 and the board 16 helps to secure the foam material ont-o theboard. It is apparent from FIG. 6 that the cushions 2 are so insertedbetween the two tubes 4 that the latter engage in the concave edges 17in the board 16 thereby ensuring that the cushions are reliably securedin the frame 1. The covering 19 extends between the board 16 and thetubes 4.

FIG. 7 sho-ws as a variation a cushion 2 whose rigid constituent, inlieu of a wooden board 16 arranged wi hin the covering 19, is a plate 16of aluminum alloy arranged outside the said covering. The plate 6 has onits longitudinal edges thickened portions 20 which again are providedwith hollow grooves 17 receiving the tubes 4. The covering 19surrounding the cushioning material 18 may be pasted onto the plate 6 orsecured in any other manner, for example by means of screws (not shown)passing through the whole cushion 18, 19.

A couch is shown schematically in FIG. 2. The frame 1 of the couchconsists of links 3 and tubes 4, which are secured to one another at thepoints of junction by means of screws 5 (see FIG. 4). Stiflened cushions2 overlying the cross-bars 4 are disposed on the frame 1.

The double divan shown schematically in FIG. 3 is also put together fromthe same members 2 5. The length of the divan, i.e. its extent in thedirection at right angles to the plane of the drawing, is preferablyseveral (e.g. two or three) times the length of the cushions 2. Theframe 1 of the divan then has for example three or four angularly bentstringers 6". Mutually aligned tubes are secured together at theiradjacent ends with the associated pair of links 3 of the intermediatestringer between them. In order to secure the adjacent ends of the tubes4 together in this way, worm screws 21 (see FIG. 8) are employed atthese central junction points.

It is possible to build the most varied furniture pieces for sitting orreclining with the same members 2-5 and 21. It is obvious that forexample the easy chair shown in FIG. 1 can be turned into a divan of anydesired length by the addition of further members in the marlnerdescribed above, and the couch shown in FIG. 2 into a double couch, theshape of the main carrier or stringer being capable of being altered toan extensive degree to suit the requirements of space and personaltaste.

The possibility of being able to put together the most variedv furniturewith the same members allows economical mass-production of these partsand of the piece Of furniture itself.

It will be understood that this invention is susceptible to furthermodication in order to adapt it to different usages and conditions, and,accordingly, it is deemed to encompass such modifications as may fallwithin the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A piece of furniture comprising a frame including a plurality ofparallel stringers and a multiplicity of crossbars spanning saidstringers, and a set of body-supporting members mounted on said frame,each of said stringers consisting of a multiplicity of links withoverlapping ends, each pair of overlapping ends being in line with arespective cross-bar, and locking means including said crossbars fornonrotatably joining said overlapping ends to each other in any one of anumber of selectable relative angular positions.

2. A piece of furniture as defined in claim 1 wherein said locking meansinclude mating formations on confronting surfaces of said overlappingends, and screw means securing said overlapping ends to the respectivecross-bar in line therewith while maintaining said formations inpositive interengagement.

3. A piece of furniture as defined in claim 2 wherein said formationsare annular arrays of teeth centered on the axis of the associatedcross-bar, said screw means being disposed along said axis.

4. A piece of furniture as defined in claim 3 wherein said cross-barsare tubular and provided with internally threaded extremities to receivesaid screw means.

5. .A piece of furniture as defined in claim 1 wherein saidbody-supporting members comprise cushioned planks each received betweenand carried by a pair of said crossbars.

6. A piece of furniture as defined in claim 5 wherein said plankscomprise rigid boards with concave longitudinal edges partly receivingsaid pair of cross-bars.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,182,125 5/1916 Whitehead297-374 X 1,894,489 1/1933 Hirose et al 182--27 X 1,942,210 1/1934Harting 182-27 X 2,703,603 3/ 1955 Endicott. 2,740,465 4/1956 Mugler297-374 FOREIGN PATENTS 826,352 2/1952 Germany.

338,522 11/1930 Great Britain.

935,969 9/1963 Great Britain.

JAMES T. MCCALL, Prima/'y Examiner.

